Peter Bondra
| birth_place = Lutsk, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union | draft = 156th overall | draft_year = 1990 | draft_team = Washington Capitals | career_start = 1986 | career_end = 2007 }} Peter Bondra (born on February 7, 1968) is a Ukrainian-born Slovak former professional ice hockey player. A two-time 50-goal scorer, he became the 37th player in National Hockey League (NHL) history to score 500 NHL goals. He was also the general manager of the Slovakia national team from 2007 to 2011. Playing Career Early Career Peter played one season for HK Poprad in the lower ranks of Czechoslovak league competition, and transferred to VSŽ Košice in the First Division at the age of 18. His older brother Juraj also played there on defense, having already won one championship title with the team the year before. As early as his second season with Košice, Peter was considered one of the top shooters in the Czechoslovak league, and won the league championship together with his brother in 1988. NHL Peter was drafted by the Washington Capitals in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft, 156th overall. Before joining the Capitals, he played for TJ VSŽ Košice (now called HC Košice) for four seasons from 1986 to 1990 in Czechoslovakia. In Washington, he became one of the more prolific goal-scorers of the 1990s. Due to the language barrier, Peter became good friends with Ukrainian-born Capitals player Dmitri Khristich, who he spoke with in both Russian and Ukrainian. His deepest playoff run came in the 1997–98 season when the Capitals advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals before being swept by the Detroit Red Wings. In the 2003–04 season (Peter's 14th with Washington), the Capitals endured a disappointing year and in a salary purge move traded veteran members of the team to contenders. As a result, he was traded to the Ottawa Senators for Brooks Laich and a second round draft pick. At the press conference announcing this trade, Peter notably broke into tears. In 14 years with the Capitals, Peter scored 472 goals and racked up 353 assists in 961 games. He holds the Capitals team records in short-handed goals (32) and hat tricks (19). With Washington, he appeared in five All-Star Games (1993, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999). In 1997 and 1999, he won the Fastest Skater Competition on All-Star weekend. In 2004, the Capitals held a vote for fans to determine the top 30 players in franchise history to celebrate their 30th season in the league. Peter finished second with 2,018 votes. The winner, Olaf Kolzig beat him by only 20 votes. During the 1994–95 (with 34 in a lockout-shortened season) and 1997–98 seasons (with 52), Peter led the league in goals scored, although the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy for most goals scored in a season did not exist until the 1998–99 season. After the 2004-05 NHL season was canceled due to the NHL labor dispute, Bondra played a handful of games with HK Tatravagónka ŠKP Poprad of the Slovak Extraliga. Prior to the 2005–06 season, he was in talks to rejoin the Capitals, but he ended up signing with the Atlanta Thrashers for one season. On December 10, Bondra signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks. On December 22, 2006, he scored his 500th NHL career goal at the United Center, in Chicago's 3–1 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He drove to the net and netted the rebound of Jassen Cullimore's shot from the left point past Toronto's Jean-Sebastien Aubin, 6:37 into the third period on the power play. Peter was the 37th player in league history to reach the 500-goal mark and the fourth player to record his 500th goal in a Blackhawks sweater, joining Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and Michel Goulet. On October 29, 2007, Peter announced his retirement from professional hockey at the age of 39. Since his retirement, he has represented Colosseo USA, a Slovak company that makes custom video scoreboards. Career Statistics Regular season and playoffs International International Play }} Peter has represented Slovakia on seven occasions in international competition, including the 1994 Winter Olympics qualifying tournament, the 1998 Winter Olympics, the 2006 Winter Olympics, the 1996 World Cup of Hockey and the Ice Hockey World Championship in 2002 and 2003. He scored a tournament-leading seven goals (including the tournament-winning goal) and ranked third among all players with nine points to lead Slovakia 4–3 over Russia to the gold medal at the 2002 World Championship. Peter notched five points (three goals, two assists) in eight games to help Slovakia earn the bronze medal at the 2003 World Championship. Overall, he played 47 games and scored 35 goals for Slovakia. Accolades Personal Life Peter was born in 1968 in Lutsk, Ukraine, then in the Soviet Union. Bondra's father (a Rusyn) had moved to Lutsk from Poprad, Czechoslovakia, when he was 16, and where he met his wife (a Pole). The parents moved with Peter and his two older brothers, Juraj and Vladimír, to Poprad when Peter was three years old. His father died in 1982. Peter was a Soviet citizen when he arrived in the United States & later obtained a Slovak passport and citizenship in 1994. Currently, he and his wife Luba (along with their daughter Petra and two sons, David & Nick) reside in Riva, Maryland and has participated in multiple alumni games and appearances with the current Capitals organization. Peter's son David is a forward at Michigan State University for the Spartans men's ice hockey team. His other son, Nick is playing for the Little Caps U18 AAA National championship bound team. Category:1968 births Category:Slovak ice hockey players Category:Washington Capitals draft picks Category:Washington Capitals players Category:HC Košice players Category:Ottawa Senators players Category:HK SKP Poprad players Category:Atlanta Thrashers players Category:Chicago Blackhawks players Category:Detroit Vipers players